Monetary Policy
Bank of Israel expects 0.4% inflation for 2014
Low rates prompted by flagging domestic demand, appreciation of the shekel and low inflation environment worldwide, bank says in monetary policy report
Bank of Zambia holds interest rate as inflation stabilises
First MPC meeting of new quarterly schedule sees no change in policy; bumper maize harvest and a stabilising exchange rate credited with lowering inflation
Bundesbank economists propose indicator for price competitiveness
Working paper published by the European Central Bank develops new indicator for international price competitiveness in an attempt to provide a tool for policy analysis
RBI’s Rajan warns of possible asset price collapse; euro ‘too strong’
Financial sector imbalances could cause sudden price reversals and sharp spikes in volatility, risks many macroeconomists are still blind to, says Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan
Japan's ageing population will have deflationary effects, IMF paper finds
Deflationary effect will hit other advanced economies too, but can be countered through monetary policy and structural reforms, IMF economists write
Shrinking BoJ balance sheet will take longer post-QQE than in 2006
Economist says unwinding the BoJ’s asset purchases will take longer when QQE finishes than it did at the end of QE in 2006, because this time it is buying bonds with longer maturities
ECB paper quantifies OMT benefits
OMT announcements depressed Italian and Spanish two-year government bond yields by roughly 200 basis points, but left their French and German equivalents ‘largely unaffected’
UK rates set to stay low, says former MPC member Wadhwani
The cost of tightening too late is far lower than that of choking the recovery, says former monetary policy-maker Sushil Wadhwani
Rajan: ‘Let’s fight the anti-inflation fight once’
Raghuram Rajan says risks to inflation target have become ‘more balanced’ in recent months, but stresses the need to remain ‘vigilant’ as RBI holds key rate at 8%
BoE’s Haldane sees greater role for central banks as risks shift
Central banks may have to address different episodes of financial instability as risks shift from the banking sector to other financial players, says BoE chief economist Andrew Haldane
Two future paths for central banking
Andrew Haldane identifies two future worlds for central banks along with their implications for monetary policy, macro-prudential regulation, operations and transparency.
Banque de France's Le Lorier says good communication can ‘substitute' for rate decisions
First deputy says comms can complement decisions in non-crisis times by revealing variables that inform monetary policy; argues monetary and macro-pru mandates can be reconciled
ECB economists find ‘considerable heterogeneity’ in impact of crisis
Researchers say that while borrowers ‘benefited’ from low interest rates, debt burdens increased for poor households as their incomes fell
IMF charts path towards PBoC policy rate
Staff report encourages the People’s Bank of China to stabilise borrowing costs in the interbank market as an ‘interim step’ towards establishing a policy rate
Central Bank of Colombia raises rates for fourth consecutive month
Bank raises benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.25% as annual growth is expected to reach 5% this year on the back of jump in household spending
Fed's Plosser dissents over unchanged forward guidance in face of US 'rebound'
Janet Yellen sees second dissent since taking the Federal Reserve chair in January; FOMC language suggests members are becoming more sanguine about economic trajectory
IMF endorses Japan's QQE despite slowing progress to 2% inflation target
IMF says Bank of Japan does not need to intensify its QQE programme ‘at this point’, though BoJ policy-maker Kiuchi says 2% inflation may need to be a 'long-term' goal
Central Bank of Brazil yet to see effects of tightening cycle
Inflation 'still shows resistance', July minutes note; bank lowered reserve requirements for lenders last week in bid to inject additional liquidity into Brazilian economy
BIS paper with New York Fed unveils new measure of underlying inflation
Economists from the Bank for International Settlements and Federal Reserve Bank of New York present a new measure that can be updated on a daily basis
IMF warns monetary tightening could hit EM growth
Advanced economies should collaborate with emerging markets, Fund says, to mitigate spillover effects of monetary tightening; says global imbalances remain too high
Italy's Visco calls for more 'symmetric' monetary policy
Central banks should be prepared to tighten policy pre-emptively, Ignazio Visco writes in forthcoming Central Banking journal, in order to head off financial crisis
Central Bank of Brazil lowers bank reserve requirements in bid to boost liquidity
Reserves held against deposits cut in half as CBB hopes to inject $20 billion into economy; move ‘seems to be aimed squarely at getting economy going ahead of elections', says analyst
Bangladesh Bank lays out monetary policy stance for the rest of 2014
Central bank aims at lower inflation and external stability through containing money growth and building up foreign reserves
IMF calls for clarity on BoE monetary framework ahead of first rate hike
Bank of England ‘will need to announce soon what its new monetary control framework will be', the Fund says, adding it is ‘waiting to hear' from the bank